Sai Baba, Indian spiritual leader, dead at 84

Sathya Sai Baba, the controversial Indian spiritual leader known as Sai Baba who sported an Afro and was often accused of sexual abuse, died April 24 in a hospital in Prashantigram of respiratory problems and multiple organ failure. His funeral is scheduled for April 27 when thousands of his devotees are expected to attend. He leaves a trust worth billions.

Born Sathyanarayana Raju in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India, his birth was said to have been heralded by miracles. Baba, who gave gifts of jewelry, flowers, and candy to his followers, also contended that he never slept. It is said that he performed levitation, bilocation, and bodily healing.

"The body comes and goes, but the Atma (the higher self) is permanent. The body has birth and death, but the spirit does not have any of these," said Baba in an interview with J. S. Hislop in 1968.

Baba believed that the best medicine for humans was meditation and yoga. "For in meditation you first set sense control. And yoga will help you with the body. And when the mind is steady, concentration will come automatically. When you get such concentration, then you get peace of mind."

Baba, who died on Easter, claimed that Jesus was a poor beggar or sanyasi who traveled to India, Tibet, Iran, and Russia. Baba said Jesus taught that animals are taken care of by a divine power regardless of human intervention, therefore, people should be positive at all times.

"Jesus was showing that one can see the best qualities in even the worst situations. People who are saintly look always to the good and do not become intangled in the bad."

©2011 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.